Ethiopia Ratifies the African Continental Free Trade AreaFebruary 4, 2019 (Ezega.com) - Reports from the Prime Minister’s office indicate Ethiopia is set to implement the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement after it was approved by the cabinet on Saturday. The pact was brokered by the AU (African Union) and was ratified by 44 out of the 55 member states in Kigali, Rwanda on the 21st of March, 2018. In recent months, the AU has challenged North African countries to ratify the AfCFTA noting that all the ratifications so far came from sub-Saharan Africa. “We look forward to having a North African country among the historic 22 ratifications that will effectively bring the AfCFTA into force,” read the tweet. None of the North African countries had ratified the trade agreement, making Ethiopia the first in the region hence the optimism behind the decision.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 04, 2019 22:07 UTC